Close variant matching keywords reinforces the need for call tracking
It’s been several weeks since Google rolled out their uniform close variant matching as a way of connecting prospects to businesses – even if the prospect makes a typo when entering the appropriate keywords or phrases.
When Google made the announcement they said, “Your exact and phrase match keywords will then begin matching to close keyword variations, allowing you to reach more of your potential customers with the right ad while aiming to lower cost per click and improve clickthrough rate.”
Google argues that you, “no longer need exhaustive lists of misspelled, abbreviated, and other close variations of your keywords to get the coverage you want. Instead, focus on adding negative keywords – including close variants you don’t want to match for – to shape traffic and reduce cost. This can improve your campaigns’ ROI and help deliver a better ad experience for your customers.”
This close variant functionality was first introduced in 2012 and was used as the default setting for campaigns. If you’ve been enjoying the benefits of close variant matching then there’s no change to the campaigns. However if as an advertiser, you preferred to analyse data based on the various keyword variations – you won’t be able to do so.
So what does all of this mean for call tracking?
Here at Delacon, the more you can drill down into the call data, the greater the potential for gaining useful insights that you can use for optimisation and streamlining your return on investment.
The argument could go either way depending on your business. It may not matter if leads enter variations of a keyword phrase into google – it’s the all-encompassing phrase that’s delivering the calls and that’s what should be optimised.
The flip side of the coin is that minor variations in the keywords may have significant ramifications for businesses. One keyword variation may deliver calls, while the other may not. Under this scenario it is essential to use a call tracking provider such as Delacon to be able to accurately identify the exact match keywords that deliver calls and to optimise those keywords for an increased return on investment.
You may discover that a variation of the keyword is responsible for the calls and not the original version that you’re bidding on.
Delacon’s advanced call tracking solution will give you the volume of calls from each individual variation of keywords.